SD Memory Card gains industry boost

The three companies plan to establish a promotional organisation to push use of the memory card, which supports the Secure Digital Music Initiative copy-protection system, and say more than 100 companies have already stated they intend to join as members or general members.

Plans to develop the SD card were announced in August of last year. The card is around the same size as a postage stamp and, in its initial version, will be able to hold 32MB or 64MB of data. The first SD card samples are expected to be available some time in the first quarter of this year, with commercial shipments scheduled for the second quarter of the year, the companies say.

The list of companies planning to join the SD Association as members reads like an industry who's who. Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Liquid Audio, Microsoft, Mitsubishi Electric, Motorola, NEC, Qualcomm, RealNetworks, Samsung Electronics, Sharp, and Toyota Motor are among the supporters.

Notably absent from the list is Sony. The company recently announced a version of its own Memory Stick technology with built-in copy protection using Sony's own SDMI-compliant OpenMG system.

The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.

My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.

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